Capybara Births at Chester Zoo Captured on Film

A capybara - the world’s largest rodent species
- has given birth to four pups at Chester Zoo.

Zookeepers spotted mum Lochley giving birth to
her first two youngsters at around 7:30am on Tuesday 17 May with the third and
fourth members of her new quartet arriving just before 11am, in front of amazed
visitors.

James Andrewes, assistant team manager at the zoo,
said:
“Lochley gave birth out in the sunshine – her first two pups arriving before
the zoo had opened with her second two born a little later, in front of a
handful of rather astonished
visitors.

“Within no time, all of the babies were up on their feet, running around,
sniffing buttercups and clambering over mum.

“We can already see that they’re going to be a bit of a handful for Lochley but
she’s looking fairly unfazed and I can see her keeping them in line without too
much trouble. They’ll nurse around seven times a day and it’s at feeding time
that they tend to settle down... for a short while at least!”

Capybaras are found on grassland and in tropical
rainforest, but spend much of their time in the water. Their eyes and nostrils
are on the tops of their heads so they can stay submerged with very little of
their body showing - helping them to avoid detection by predators such as
jaguars, anacondas and caiman.

While the capybara is
not currently classified as an endangered species, it is threatened by habitat
degradation and illegal poaching for its meat and skin, which can be turned
into leather. The zoo hopes their new arrivals will help to raise the profile
of the often overlooked species.

Keepers say it may not be too long until they see the pitter-patter of more
tiny webbed capybara feet. Another female, Lilly, is also heavily pregnant and
expected to give birth any day.

Capybara facts

Capybaras are the largest of the world’s
rodent species

They are found over much of South America

They are highly adapted to an aquatic
lifestyle and even mate in water

Like rabbits, they eat their own dung to
extract maximum nutrition from their food